Givenchy. The brand built by fashion luminary Hubert de Givenchy, has become synonymous with Hollywood glamour and sophistication. The French couturier established his own design house in 1952, after training with the likes of Jacques Fath, Lucien Lelong, and the incomparable Elsa Schiaparelli. A colleague of Christian Dior and Pierre Balmain, and contemporary of Chanel and Balenciaga, Givenchy was not only instrumental in shaping the face of French fashion, but was also sagacious enough to capture the hearts of American fashion-lovers by dressing Hollywood starlets in his simple, feminine and exquisitely tailored creations.
To this day, Hubert de Givenchy is a firm believer that “to dress a woman is to make her beautiful.” Consequently, the clothes he designed were impeccably tailored from the finest of fabrics to flatter and accentuate the female form. The simplicity of his creations served to emphasize their quality. Some women, however, are naturally more beautiful to start with, and Hubert de Givenchy was drawn to women who were inherently poised and glamorous. His friend and muse in the 50’s and 60’s, Audrey Hepburn, was his ideal woman. Her slim figure and swan-like neck made a white shirt and capris look exquisite, and swathed in one of his evening gowns she appeared curvaceous and feminine. Jacqueline Kennedy was another Givenchy devotee who personified the elegance and simplicity of Givenchy, and someone he loved to dress.
In 1957, Givenchy launched his first fragrance and cemented his relationship with Hollywood. L’Interdit was created specifically for Audrey Hepburn. A bit sweet and heavy for modern tastes, the exclusive fragrance had undeniable cachet and quickly became a favourite when an updated version was reintroduced in 2002. Other extremely popular fragrances have since followed: Amarige, Organza, Ysatis, and Pi for men, among others.
Staying true to its origins, Givenchy is launching a new fragrance, Very Irresistible Givenchy, and has chosen consummate star Liv Tyler to represent it. The young actress, daughter of model Bebe Buell and Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler, has received critical acclaim for both her roles in low-budget indie flics and big-budget blockbusters. Intelligent, spirited, naturally beautiful, inherently elegant, and possessed of an unparalleled sense of style, Tyler is a Hollywood icon for the 21st century. With the launch of Very Irresistible Givenchy, the house of Givenchy not only pays homage to the glorious history of the silver screen, but also renews its very special relationship with Hollywood.
Very Irresistible Givenchy is an unusually sophisticated floral fragrance, a decadent mix of five different types of roses: Centifolia, Peony, Fantasia, Passion and Emotion. Givenchy claims to have abandoned the traditional linear fragrance structure in favour of a five-pointed star composition which enhances the fragrance’s intensity and vividness. The elegance of the fragrance is reflected in everything from the packaging to the print campaign featuring movie poster-style ads shot by Mario Testino.
Eau de toilette spray 50ml ($70) & 75ml ($80), Perfumed Body Veil 200ml ($57) and Perfumed Bath & Shower Gel 200ml ($49) are available at department stores across Canada.